WB Panchayat Election Results 2023: Governor warns of action against 'control room lords'

Days after sporadic violence across the state, the West Bengal panchayat election 2023 results will be announced on Tuesday (July 11). This election is considered a significant assessment for both the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, serving as a crucial indicator leading up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The counting of votes commenced at 8 am. Every counting center has been fortified with the presence of central forces and the installation of CCTV cameras.

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Speaking to reporters, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose said, "There will be a relentless fight against growing violence in Bengal. Those who commit violence in the field will be made to curse the day they are born. All authorities will come down with a heavy hand on the goons and lawbreakers."

"We will certainly take stern action against the control room lords those who sit in political control rooms and guide or remote control the goons on the field," the Governor said.

"It will be an all-out action. There will be certainly very stern action because this violence is affecting the future of the new generation...We will make Bengal a safer place for the new generation to live in," he further added.

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Since the announcement of the three-tier local body polls on June 8, West Bengal has witnessed a total of 42 fatalities due to political violence. Tragically, on Monday alone, four individuals lost their lives, contributing to this distressing toll.

The panchayat elections were marred by serious allegations of vote tampering, leading the State Election Commission (SEC), led by Rajiva Sinha, to order a repoll in affected booths across all districts of Bengal, with the exception of three.

Booth capturing, rigging, ballot box looting, harassment of polling officials, gunfire, and bomb attacks were witnessed in the state. A staggering 18 individuals were killed, and numerous others sustained injuries.

This death toll exclusively accounts for the voting day, surpassing the previous figure of 12 fatalities recorded in the 2018 polling day violence.

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